From a plan in April to a signed agreement
Cohere and Aleph Alpha announced on September 16, 2026 that they had signed a definitive business combination agreement, following a planned combination announced in April. The combined company will operate globally as Cohere, with more than 1,000 employees, headquarters in Berlin and Toronto, and Aleph Alpha's Heidelberg office kept as a research center. The deal remained subject to final regulatory approvals and was expected to close later in the year. [1]
Aleph Alpha's co-CEO Ilhan Scheer is to become Cohere's chief operating officer and its co-founder Samuel Weinbach its chief research officer, both on completion. The companies said they would advance a partnership with Schwarz Group to deliver sovereign AI on its STACKIT cloud. BetaKit reported that Cohere chief executive Aidan Gomez announced the signing at the ALL IN conference in Montreal. [1][2]
What the release leaves out
The release gives no price or valuation. BetaKit reported that a source had told it in April that, as the larger company, Cohere is buying Aleph Alpha, and that the Financial Times had then reported the combined company would be valued at around $20 billion. The companies describe the deal as a combination and did not confirm either point. [1][2]
Atlas interpretation: The companies present it as a transatlantic combination for governments and regulated industries that want AI they control. Until regulators approve it, Aleph Alpha remains a separate company, and the undisclosed terms leave the price of that bet unknown. [1][3]
Sources
- Cohere and Aleph Alpha Sign Agreement to Become the First Transatlantic Sovereign AI Solution
Cohere · Sep 16, 2026
- Cohere reaches terms with German peer Aleph Alpha to take on AI giants
BetaKit · Sep 16, 2026
- Cohere and Aleph Alpha sign, with headquarters in Berlin and Toronto
The Next Web · Sep 16, 2026